A conventional crimping machine comprises a press and a terminal applicator. The applicator is, in effect, a miniature press, having a press frame and a reciprocable ram in the frame which is coupled to the ram of the press. The applicator has a crimping zone in which the crimping tooling is mounted and has a self-contained feeding mechanism for feeding terminals in strip form to the crimping zone.
The feeding mechanism can be actuated by a pneumatic piston cylinder or, more commonly, by a camming mechanism on the applicator ram which reciprocates the feed pawl of the feeding mechanism. Mechanical feeding mechanisms which comprise a cam, cam follower, and a linkage to the feed pawl tend to be relatively complex and must be specifically designed for the terminal strip which will be used with the applicator.
The present invention is directed to the achievement of an improved strip feeder which is actuated by a rack on the applicator ram and a gear train which is between the applicator ram and the actual feeding mechanism.